Great Escape Radio: Travel Writing / Photography /

Travel Meetup in Tanzania

How to Find Your Place as a Travel Writer

“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.”—Diane Arbus Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings Elizabeth Coughlin back to the show. Elizabeth refers to herself as a geriatric nomad. For 14 years, she and her husband taught in international schools around the world—with their daughters in tow. When her husband retired, she needed something to do. She discovered Great Escape Publishing and decided to attend a photography workshop. As a result, she has become a successful stock photographer. Elizabeth shares a story about visiting her daughter in Abu Dhabi  at the time the Louvre was inaugurated in November 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron. “I took photos of the outside of the Louvre the day after the big gala for the opening.” At the urging of her son-in-law, Elizabeth uploaded the photos to the stock agencies right away and to her amazement, the photos began selling immediately. It was all about being first. Listen in as Elizabeth offers advice on how to find new and noteworthy events and how those events can help with your stock photography sales. If you’re inspired to explore travel photography visit www.greatescapepublishing.com and sign up for The Right Way to Travel newsletter which offers information on travel writing, photography and more.

Learning as a Travel Writer

Incorporating Your Background into Travel Writing

“Every time I wander a few miles from where I live, I find something new.”–Theresa St. John Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings travel writer and photographer, Theresa St. John back to the show. Theresa has been on the show previously to talk about her travel writing career which she built by starting local. She has written for 16 local publications. She shares with us her thoughts on writing about her hometown for local publications… “People often ask me if I get bored writing about my hometown, but I love writing about local places. I’ve learned so much about my community. Every time I wander even a few miles from where I live, I find something new.” Listen in as Theresa describes the benefits of focusing your writing on local attractions for local publications. Join us at our next Ultimate Travel Writer’s weekend to get started.

“You don’t have to know all the steps to getting where you want to be, you just have to know the next step.” ?Valerie Young Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen introduce us to Valerie Young. Lori introduces us to Valerie… “Valerie describes herself as the “dreamer in residence” at changingcourse.com. I go to her when I have questions for people interested in transitioning to new careers.” Valerie shares her insights into what it means to follow your passion and the role passion plays in the work that we do. “I’m of the mind that it is important generally speaking that we find something we enjoy doing. But sometimes people get really hung up on finding their true passion.” Valerie encourages people to think about what they want their lives to look like first and then figure out how to make that happen. Listen in as Valerie shares her insights and advice on how to focus on life first and work second as a means to creating the life you want. If you’re interested in pursuing a career that allows you to live life on your own terms go to www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/travelwriting and explore the ways travel writing can help you do that.

“I went all the way across the world and realized people there are just like me.”—Jody Maberry Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen reflect on Jody’s first international trip. Jody had never left the country before his recent trip to Kuwait. It was a “go big or go home” jump into international travel starting with 14 hours of flight. His first impression—he didn’t like it. He didn’t like flying with 300 people. He was bored and he couldn’t sleep. As a result, he suffered severe jet lag after arriving. Lori shares a similar experience she had when she first visited Shanghai. Although she found a restaurant with a menu in English, the choices were something she would never eat. Hippo and bird nest soup were both offered—and that wasn’t going to happen! Between the unacceptable food choices, trouble with taxis, jet lag and the overwhelming pace of the city, she cried the first night. Ultimately, Jody and Lori both adjusted to their destinations and enjoyed their respective experiences. Listen in as they reflect on their experiences and what travel has taught them. Lori is a big believer in digging deeper into travel to explore new cultures and places. If you’re interested in learning how to do that in your travels, the Great Escape Publishing travel writing and photography courses are the place to start. Visit www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/travelwriting  and www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/photography for more information.

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”—Chinese Proverb Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry welcomes Tracey Minkin, Senior Travel Editor for Coastal Living magazine back to the show. Jody and Tracey met at the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas last September where they both experienced the excitement and energy of the workshop through the attendees. Tracey will be returning to the workshop again this year in Little Rock, Arkansas in September. She will be leading workshop sessions to help new writers get started. One topic Tracey always focuses on when she’s talking to new writers is starting small. Listen in as she shares what it means to start small as a travel writer and its benefits. For more information about Great Escape Publishing, visit www.greatescapepublishing.com.

“Social media is just a buzzword until you come up with a plan.”—Unknown Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry welcomes Bonnie Caton back to the podcast. At the recent Ultimate Photographer’s Workshop in St. Louis, Bonnie spoke to attendees about Instagram. Jody confesses he resisted Instagram for years even though people told him he should be there. He’s on Facebook and wasn’t sure he wanted to add another social media channel to his life. Jody’s not alone. Many people resist bringing more social media platforms into their lives. Bonnie shares some of the benefits of Instagram… “You can share your photos and see all the beautiful photos posted to the site, it’s stress free and it’s Facebook without the drama!” Listen in as Bonnie shares more advantages of being on Instagram along with tips for getting started and for using the platform to build your business or brand.   Click here to follow Great Escape Publishing on Instagram. For more information about Great Escape Publishing, visit www.greatescapepublishing.com.

“Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets planning.”—Thomas Edison Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen talk about the recent Ultimate Photographer’s Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri. Lori shares her thoughts on the event… “This was our 174th live event and I think it may be my favorite one yet!” From the outstanding staff at the Chase Park Plaza where the workshop was held to the enthusiastic attendees, the event was a huge success. YouTube sensation and photographer Nigel Danson and National Geographic photographer Jad Davenport joined the already spectacular line up of presenters. Both were very popular with the attendees. They even had Lori taking notes during their presentations. Listen in as Lori shares more about the workshop and other live events presented by Great Escape Publishing. Next year’s event will be in Alexandria, Virginia in the Spring so it’s possible the attendees could catch the annual cherry blossoms.   The next event coming up is the Ultimate Travel Writers Workshop which will be held in Little Rock, Arkansas in September. Tickets are on sale now. For more information about Great Escape Publishing events, visit www.greatescapepublishing.com.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”—Helen Keller Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen talk about Jody’s first international trip. Believe it or not, Jody’s starting his experience with international travel with a trip to Kuwait. As he says, “the most exotic place I’ve ever been is Duluth, Minnesota!” Lori asks Jody what he has done to prepare for this trip. His response: “I bought a plane ticket and got a passport!” Jody definitely needs some tips to prepare for his big trip. Lori starts with the basics… …passport and visa requirements …vaccinations …contacts for the US Embassy …tips for using credit cards overseas …packing and clothing tips Lori has extensive international travel experience. The tips she shares with Jody will benefit anyone planning for international travel. For more information about Great Escape Publishing, visit www.greatescapepublishing.com.

Writing 400 Articles

Noreen Kompanik discusses the people you will meet through travel writing. 

“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”— Virginia Woolf Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen bring Connie Pearson to the show. Lori introduces us to Connie… “Connie is this sweet Alabama Christian grandmother that has not only had several travel articles published in a variety of outlets, she also has her own blog.” Jody talks with Connie about her blog and how it started. “I started blogging in earnest in May 2015 a few months before I attended the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Denver. I had used the Great Escape Publishing blogging program by Paula Pant to get started.” It’s a program that Connie highly recommends as it helped her set up her blog and taught her how to manage it. After Connie began pitching travel articles to various outlets, she began to realize how important her blog is in the process. Listen in as Connie shares the ways her blog has enhanced her travel writing career. She also shares why she loves blogging and having the opportunity to let her personality shine through her words as she shares inspiration with her readers. If you’re interested in exploring blogging, visit www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/blog where you’ll find more details about GEP’s program on creating your own money-making blog.

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all: Read a lot and write a lot.”—Stephen King Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen bring food blogger Nathan Aguilera to the show. Lori introduces us to Nathan… “Nathan is a blogger that I found when we were looking for someone who was blogging about food. I found him on Instagram and reached out to see if he would help some of Great Escape Publishing’s members that were interested in blogging and building a social media following.” Nathan has been solo traveling for the past five years. About 18 months into his travels, he decided to start his blog to document his travels. Today Nathan works with tourism boards and companies around the world to promote destinations and brands. Listen in as Nathan explains the benefits of having a blog and the type of writing you should publish on your blog. Nathan also offers advice to those considering starting a blog. If you’re interested in starting your own blog visit www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/blog and check out GEP’s blogging course.

“Listicles are like the ‘crack’ of travel writing, we just have to read them.” –Kyle Wagner Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen bring Kyle Wagner to the show. To listen in to a previous episode with Kyle, go here. Lori introduces us to Kyle… “Kyle has a lot of spunk and I would imagine that’s why she’s such a great travel writer. She’s enthusiastic, funny and always entertaining. And she wants people to live a full life and love what they do.” Kyle has 30 years of journalism under her belt. She spent 12 of those years as an editor at the Denver Post.  Now she’s freelancing and loving the flexibility and freedom the freelance life brings. She joins Jody to talk about “listicles” and the place they hold in today’s journalism… especially online. “Listicles are a list of the ‘top 10 (or some other number) this or that’ held together by an introduction,” explains Kyle. “They’re just like the popsicles they’re named for—easily digestible.” For a writer who’s in love with the narrative and wants to tell a story, listicles can be frustrating. However, they sell better than any other stories out there. Listen in as Kyle gives tips on how to make your listicle ideas more valuable and unique which will make the publications love them. Kyle has worked with Great Escape Publishing to develop an intern program for members who prefer small group travel writing instruction. Through this program, she teaches members how to write queries that will get their articles noticed and published. If you want to learn more about GEP’s internship program with Kyle, go to www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/intern.

What It Means to Live the Gig Life

“Less perfection. More authenticity.”—Anonymous Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry is joined by Breakfast Stock Club Creator, Bonnie Caton again this week. (You can listen in to the last episode with Bonnie here.) Jody talks with Bonnie about a term she uses in her photography: purposeful authentic. Bonnie shares what that means… “Thanks to social media, brands are looking to showcase real people in their advertising campaigns. They’re looking to get a peek inside the lives of real people.” In the past, marketing campaigns would hire models and set up photo shoots to sell their products…it was fake. “Now people want authentic looking photos. What that means is that you have many more opportunities to shoot photos to sell to stock agencies. Whenever you go out with your friends, take pictures of the things you’re doing whether its hiking, happy hour or whatever you’re doing.” Purposeful means finding the iconic things either in your travels or in your daily life and photographing them in the best possible light. “You’re doing things that are real, but the photos you’re shooting are curated and edited.” Listen in as she shares how to incorporate purposeful authentic photography into your daily life. She also gives us tips on choosing the right type of photos to shoot if you want to sell your photos through stock agencies.   For more resources visit www.breakfaststock.com and sign up for the Breakfast Stock Club weekly newsletter or become a member.

“Follow your own passion—not your parents’, not your teachers’—yours.”—Robert Ballard Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry is joined by Bonnie Caton to discuss making art for a living. Bonnie has always loved art and was one of those kids in school who couldn’t wait for art day. But it took her a while to realize she could use her passion for art to make a living. She was told she should follow a “safe route” and study something “normal.” When she discovered Great Escape Publishing and attended a photography workshop, she began to realize she could make a living as an artist—despite what others may say. Listen in as Bonnie shares her story and offers advice and encouragement to anyone currently in a “safe” career that really wants to change direction and make a living from art or another creative endeavor. If this inspires you to take steps toward a creative career visit www.breakfaststock.com and sign up for the weekly newsletter. If anyone out there has benefitted from this podcast or any of the Great Escape Publishing programs, Lori would love to hear from you. She wants to hear what collateral benefits you’ve received. Go to www.greatescapepublishing.com, click on the “Contact Us” box and send a note!